National Police agents have released 11 women who were sexually exploited by a criminal organization based on the island of Lanzarote. The victims, vulnerable women of Latin American origin, mainly from Colombia and Venezuela, were recruited in their countries of origin with false job offers in Spain as domestic workers or webcammers.
They were subjected to a system of fines and lived crowded in rooms without doors or windows where they were forced to prostitute themselves to pay off the debt that could reach 10,000 euros. The investigation began thanks to the complaint of two victims and has allowed the arrest of six people in the town of Arrecife and the intervention of 9,085 euros and 2,200,000 Colombian pesos in cash.
The criminal organization recruited the victims in their countries of origin, where it had collaborators who were responsible for locating women in situations of scarcity and economic hardship to whom they offered false job offers in Spain as domestic workers, or in some cases as a webcammer to make transmissions over the internet with erotic content but without physical contact with clients.
Once the proposal was accepted, the network financed and managed everything related to the transfer to the Canary Island of Lanzarote, simulating a tourist trip and instructing the victims on how to behave so as not to raise suspicions at border controls.
Crowded in a brothel apartment
Once in Lanzarote, the exploiters transferred the women to a brothel apartment located in the town of Arrecife, where their passports were taken away and they were informed that they had acquired an economic debt close to 10,000 euros that they had to pay off by practicing prostitution. In that same apartment, the women lived in undignified conditions, crowded into bunk beds distributed in several rooms that had no doors or windows. In addition to the aforementioned apartment, the network used a premises located in the town of Puerto del Carmen to exploit its victims. This premises, which pretended to be a massage center, was only open during the nights and for clients who demanded higher level or longer duration sexual services.
The organization subjected the women to strict control through video surveillance systems, forced them to be available 24 hours a day without being able to reject any service and to consume drugs if required, all under serious physical threats to them and their families.
System of fines
The debt imposed by the criminal network was continuously increased through a system of fines that made it difficult for women to satisfy them. The sanctions, which ranged between 20 and 40 euros, were imposed for acts such as not cleaning, not taking out the garbage or returning to the apartment after the permitted time. The investigated kept 40% of the income generated by the women, although they did not actually receive any amount until they paid off the debt incurred.
The criminal organization also took care of the publication of sexual services on specialized websites and several managers, known as "mommies", were responsible for answering the contact telephones to which customers called and for controlling the payment of services, which could be done in cash, with a bank card and even through a mobile phone payment application.
The criminal network also used the properties in which it operated to sell various narcotic substances, mainly cocaine and tutsi, as well as medications indicated for erectile dysfunction, to customers who demanded it.
During the police operation, six properties in the towns of Arrecife and Puerto del Carmen have been searched, in which 9,085 euros and 2,200,000 Colombian pesos in cash, 55 grams of tutsi and other amounts of cocaine and marijuana, 100 tablets for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, four mobile phones and a large amount of documentation relevant to the investigation have been seized. The investigation remains open and further arrests are not ruled out.
No deal with trafficking
This operation is part of the National Police Plan against Trafficking in Human Beings for Sexual Exploitation. The National Police has the telephone line 900 10 50 90 and the email [email protected] to facilitate citizen collaboration and the anonymous and confidential reporting of this type of crime, the call not being reflected in the telephone bill.
